To Protect, and Ultimately Love
by Demelza
Summary: What if Elisa and Faith's lives both went differently than they did, or could have? (non e/g..TW x-over) [ch.3 uploaded: 9/17/02]
1. Prologue

**Title:** To Protect, and Ultimately Love (Prologue)  
**Author:** Quantara   
**Email:** quantara@nzoomail.com  
**Written:** Aug 30-Sep 2 2002  
**Category:** Angst, Thriller, Suspense, Angst, Angst, Angst, Angst and Angst  
**Disclaimer:** The characters of Elisa Maza, Matt Bluestone and the other Gargoyles related characters belong to Disney/Buena Vista. Maurice Boscorelli, Faith Yokas and other Third Watch related characters belong to NBC, WB and its other owners. I wish I owned them, but sadly I do not. All new characters are of my own creation.  
**Rating: ** R - for Adult Themes and Content  
**Warnings: **This Prologue is pretty dark, and contains references to content that may disturb or deeply upset some people. Deals with physical violence, use of drugs, spousal abuse and rape.  
**Author's Notes 2:** The main characters used in this story are the characters of Elisa Maza and Faith Yokas and are done on a 'what if' scale of things, ie, what if their lives had gone differently than they did in the given TV series up to the point of February 2001. In saying this, I hope that their portrayal is as in character, given these changes, as they need to be to remain 'in character' to the show. (wow, what a mouthful that was!)

* * * * * * * *  
**PROLOGUE  
*** * * * * * * *  


**February 14th 2001  
10.53pm**

An older woman of about fifty-seven years and African American descent sat, trembling, on the edge of the single bed in the dark room. Her hands covered the ears of her frightened nine-month-old grandson. Tears were streaming down her face in fear as she stared at the closed door mere feet away. In the other room she could hear the screams of her daughter, begging with her ex-boyfriend to leave. One and a half years since their two-week relationship ended, Michael Robson still thought he had rights to come round to the home of her daughter and grandson.

The woman flinched, hearing skin meet skin and as a soft whimper filled the air, a woman moaning in pain. More crying from her daughter as Michael hit her again. Repeatedly. Each hit getting worse with every cry her daughter let out.

She wanted to run into the other room and rescue her daughter from the hands of the bastard that was beating on her, but a promise she made kept her behind the closed door, holding on with all her life to her crying grandson.

The beating in the other room ceased soon after the crying did and the woman could only fear the worse for her daughter. Then came the sound she feared most, his footsteps growing louder as he reached the room. The door swung open and Michael stood there, hands balled into fists at his side, from the glint of the room behind him, she knew it was blood she could see trickling down the back of his right fist. There were no words exchanged as his dark figure entered the room, eyes reflective to a degree in the dark, and she swallowed hard.

She clutched onto her grandson, holding him closer to her, feeling his heart beating fast in his tiny chest, a beat matching that of her own.

"You're not going to keep my son from me," Michael's dark, rough voice stated as he removed the gun from the back of his belt. He then took his screaming son from her, into his arms. "I'm sorry it had to come to this, Diane. But he's my son and she should have let me see him," he whispered. She could hear the tears straining in his voice as he lifted the gun to her head. 

She didn't close her eyes, just stared back at him as she watched him bite his lower lip as it trembled, his hand tightly gripped onto the weapon as he then squeezed the trigger. Her world instantly grew dark as she fell forward, slumping onto the ground at Michael's feet. The last thing she could hear was the cries of her grandson.

And then nothing.

* * *

**Same Time**

The room was dark, the only lights were those coming from the two burning candles on the duchess at the far wall of the bedroom. Elisa Maza stood at the foot end of the bed, her hands trembling as she pulled up the zipper on her jeans. With the zip finally up, she bit her lower lip, staring at the form lying under the blankets in the bed. _Don't wake up, please don't wake up... _she quickly thought. She remained standing where she was for a long moment, her heart racing in her chest when she suddenly shivered as felt a cool breeze brush against the bare skin of her back. She bent down to the floor and reached for her black T-shirt, automatically pulling it over her head after she stood up, trying not to wince as the material rubbed against the abrasion on her right elbow from the fall she'd had earlier that day.

Tucking the T-shirt into her jeans, Elisa then slipped on both her boots before walking over to the head end of the bed where her jacket was on the bedside cabinet. She picked it up, accidentally causing what was underneath it drop to the ground. A small tin tray with two syringes and empty vials. Drugs. 

_How did my life get so messed up?_

Closing her eyes, she moved her right hand to her stomach, her jacket dropped to the ground out from her other hand as she sat down on the edge of the bed. Her eyes opened after a moment, releasing the tears that had built up beneath her eyelids. After swallowing, she bit down on her lower lip as more tears filled her eyes and rolled effortlessly down her cheeks. But it wasn't just her life she was messing up, not any more. Now there were two. Hers and her baby's. _My baby..._ she quietly thought, swallowing hard as her chest heaved. She quickly suppressed the sob that was coming up and rose to her feet once more, turning back to the form in the bed once she was standing. He didn't care, not since his accident those months before her break up with Goliath sixteen weeks ago. The drugs had taken full control of his mind, his every being. She wondered how her life had taken the sudden change it had.

Like a memory, somehow suppressed by the drugs they injected into themselves every night, she remembered painfully how she turned to him, the only true friend she had left in this sorry world. His escape came from the drugs, and soon so had hers. That first night was the most awful night of her life. Her mind was completely fucked up, no thought was complete and worst of all, she had sex with him. It hadn't meant to come to that. To come to the way it was now. All she'd wanted was a friend to talk to, someone who would listen. Someone who knew about her involvement with the clan.

She did admit that, yes, in a lot of ways she loved him, but was it really love? Or was it, like the drugs, just a way to get away from the troubles life had thrust at her? As a cop, both of them, knew how wrong drugs were. They arrested druggies, lectured them on the effects and damages it did to not only their health, but also their lives. What hypocrites they were though.

Letting out a breath, she picked up her jacket once more and slipped it on over her shoulders. "We've gotta stop doing this, Matt..." she whispered before leaning over and placed a kiss on the redhead man's forehead. She brushed the hair from his eyes, feeling tears build up in her eyes all over again as her gaze dropped to his mouth, then back to his closed eyes. "It doesn't just damage us..." she whispered softly, swallowing the tears away as she stood up. Her chest heaved again, this time slower as she let out a low breath. "Not any more..." she added, closing her eyes as she turned around and headed along the edge of the bed until she reached the door and quietly opened it, closing it behind her as she left.

* * *

**Same Time**

Sitting with her back against the cold tiles of her bathroom, Faith Yokas stared across the small room at the door, her entire body shaking violently. Thoughts of her young children raced before her and a silent prayer quickly filled her mind. Every part of her thankful that they were visiting with their grandparents when Fred had came home pissed out of his mind again tonight. She flinched, hearing him roar her name, knowing there were only minutes before he'd find her.

The same thing had been going on for months, violence from his drunkenness. Yes, he apologized the morning after every time, but she started to fear him. It wasn't right that a wife should fear her husband, but there she sat, body shaking uncontrollably as she tried to regain each breath he'd stolen from her with the blows his fists had dealt her. Her body shook as she hid from him, echoing a distant memory of her own drunken father the sole time he'd gotten violent when he was drunk. She felt every fibre of her body flinch as Fred hollered her name again. He was getting closer now.

Like a child, she clutched her knees against her chest, wincing ever slightly as the belt of her jeans dug into the bare skin of her stomach where he had punched her. And just like a child, she sat there, hiding in the shadows of the dark room, wishing she knew what she had done to piss him off this time. She'd loved him without question all these years and suddenly, here she sat, fearing. Fearing that tonight was going to be the night when he'd beat her that bit more than the he had the fortnight before.

His footsteps growing louder, she clutched her knees even tighter to her chest, crying with dry eyes, inside begging with God that He wouldn't let Fred get to her again. Not tonight. Not ever again. That for once He'd make the drunken bastard go to sleep and drink off whatever had him so pissed off. But the door swung open and she could smell the foul stench of alcohol on his clothing, on his breath. Every where on him. 

"Please...please don't...don't do this Fred..." she quietly pleaded with him, her voice raspy as he rushed over to her. She let out a yelp mixed with a cry as he yanked her by her hair and pulled her to her feet then slammed her against the wall. "Don't...Fred, please don't!" she screamed, begging with him.

"Shut up!" He shouted back at her, shoving her heavily against the wall once more.

"Can't we talk this through!?" Faith could hear herself scream, her words trailing off into nothing as his fist struck her just below her eye. Pain surged through her entire face and she could feel herself start to slip downward. Her vision started to blur and fade in and out of darkness when Fred grabbed her by the hair once more. Yanking her upward so she was standing, his other hand gripping her jaw so that she was looking directly at him. There was nothing but pure, relentless anger in his eyes and she found herself whispering the name of the sole person she wished was there to rescue her. "Bosco..." she breathed, the thought of him made her whimper, knowing for sure he would be the only one to save her now.

But he wasn't there.

He didn't know Fred had started beating her.

And that's when Fred shoved her head hard up against the wall again. Her whole body felt like an electric current went rippling through it and her knees begun to buckle beneath her as her body grew weak.

"I..I shoulda known you'd call for your...your fuck buddy..." Fred laughed, his teeth grinding as pulled her back up so that she was standing up in front of him. "Kinda figures why...why you won't fuck me then, huh Faith? Not wh-when you have *him*!"

"Don't..." Faith whispered, her voice barely audible as her eyes drifted shut, though they quickly jerked open when he roughly shook her head by the fistful of her hair he had in his hand. She screamed in pain, wanting him to just leave her the hell alone.

"Don't!?" he screamed back at her, his deep brown eyes furious as he let go of her and she dropped to the ground, her feet sliding out from under her as she fell on her bottom. "I...I gave you everything you ever asked for!" he screamed again, this time tears of rage fuelling his voice as he crouched down in front of her, a dark, dangerous leer in his eyes. She begged to God that He'd give her the strength to get away from Fred, but every part of her was too weak, too much in pain to process a single thought much less make her arms and legs move. "And what did I get!?" he continued, jerking her out of her own thoughts as she stared back at him, body shaking. "Nothing! But I'm going to take...take what I deserve! What you *owe* me!"

Faith stared at him, her eyes burning with shards of pain, she tried to will herself to gather the strength to push him away. But fear paralyzed her as she took in a deep breath, wanting to scream, wanting for God to kill her in that moment as Fred yanked her by the legs so that she was laying flat on the ground. Her head hit the ice-cold tiles beneath her and she let out a cry, everything fading out, but all too late as she felt his hands ripping her shirt open and then as they trailed down to the belt of her jeans. _Please, just let me die... _came her last thoughts as everything faded to black.


	2. Chapter One

Title: To Protect, and Ultimately Love (1/4)

Author: Quantara

Email: quantara@nzoomail.com

Disclaimer: The usual, Third Watch and Gargs don't belong to me, they belong to their respective owners (Disney/Warner Bros/NBC/Buena Vista, etc,.)

Rating: R - for violence, language and content

Thanks to everyone on the 55David message board for all their feedback! Thanks guys! Here's the second part...more will be following VERY shortly! I wasn't going to post this part until I had finished the last 3, but thought I would!  
All feedback is welcome, good or bad! Mail me: quantara@nzoomail.com 

* * * * * * * *  
**CHAPTER ONE  
*** * * * * * * *  


****

Same Night - 11.47pm

The cool winds of the midnight air got caught between Elisa's jacket collar and her neck, harshly brushing against her bare skin and sending a shiver down her spine as she instinctively wrapped her arms around herself. Across the road from her she could see a couple walking hand-in-hand in the opposite direction she was headed. The woman was carrying a red balloon on a string made of ribbon, there was a wide smile on her face as she talked with her boyfriend, fiancé, hell, maybe it was her husband. It hurt too much watching them for her to really care.

Sighing and letting out a long breath as she continued walking, Elisa wondered how she and Matt had got so caught up in the 'relationship' they had. Yes, she knew grief brought them closer together. Her own grief at losing Goliath. And Matt's because of the car accident he was in eight and a half months ago that had stopped him from working for not quite seven of those moments. She wished, that instead of taking the heroin with him, she'd helped him get treatment to get over his addiction. But it had all gone terribly wrong when she sat there, watching as he injected the shit into his arm and her mind instantly flickered to the idea of how great it might feel to escape from the sorrow she was feeling day in and day out. And that's how her addiction to it had begun. Something though, had they ever been caught, would cost them their jobs.

Shaking her head slightly, Elisa sniffed back the tears that had decided to come back in full 'flooding' mode and she hated it. Not the tears. But the idea of taking drugs. Her parents had always brought her up to stay away from it. She knew they'd taken it as youngsters, whose parents hadn't? But taking in mind the fullness of her actions, the consequences, she wished she'd listened to their advice. All these years saying 'no', how could she have just abandoned everything she ever believed in just to ease the pain she felt? The pain that came from every break up. _Every break up..._ she thought, pain stinging her eyes as she wished all those years in a non 'intimate' relationship with Goliath that they hadn't just let what they had slip out from underneath them. She loved him, painfully so, wished that they had been as intimate as she'd have liked. But they were two different species and they'd agreed it would be too dangerous if they were to ever have sex. They didn't know what would happen if they had of, the risk was too high. 

But all of that...she shook her head again, a tear rolling down her cheek as her mind trailed over to Matt. To what they had. Beyond the drugs, beyond the sex. They did have something special, they always had. All those years with Goliath, she hadn't even noticed he had never once been involved with a woman. The thought passed her mind that maybe he was gay or something, but no. She soon learnt, from a drug induced conversation he didn't remember the next day, that he had always been in love with her. In love with her fiery personality, the way she said what she wanted and to who she wanted. And how he'd let himself be available, just in case. A dream he had, to be the one she'd turned to if what she had with Goliath would ever end. And as everything changed in her relationship with Goliath and then ended, she did turn to Matt. And now she was pregnant with his child.

"How did I let my life get so screwed up?" she asked herself aloud, a tone of mourning in her voice, of dissapointment, and that's when she heard a noise that was only too familiar and she instantly froze in her steps. Her heart surged in her chest at what felt like a thousand beats per second. "Please, don't do this..." she breathed out, her voice a mere whisper, knowing he was there, gun pointed at her head. Knowing there was murderous intent in the way he was breathing. Slowly, she inhaled, and turned around to see him standing there. He wore a beanie atop his head, his eyes were as dark as they always were and blood covered the white T-shirt he wore. She knew he'd done something terribly wrong. "What'd you do, Michael?" she asked, her voice shaken.

The stainless steel magnum pointed at her, he swallowed hard. "Just shut up," he warned her, his voice as deep and full of contempt as it was the last time she saw him.

"You have to tell me what you did."

He squeezed the gun tighter in his hands, his teeth clenching as he looked back at her. "I said shut up!" he roared, causing her to flinch at his tone. "It was you, wasn't it, Maza? It was you that made that bitch sister of yours keep my son from me! Wasn't it!?"

She gasped in that moment when he stopped screaming at her, finally able to catch the breath she didn't know she was desperate for. "No!" she said back, but he only shoved the gun closer to her. "I swear it wasn't me, Michael!"

His breath still clenched, his left hand squeezing then releasing at his side. "You're lying to me! I know it was you! You had to put the blame on someone...who better than me!"

"No...no...we didn't do that...Grayson was the one who took over your case..."

He eyed her angrily, "It's not like you tried to stop him though, is it!?"

"How could I!?" she screamed back, tears streaming down her face now.

"By not lying to them when they asked if I came to your place and spend the night with Beth! That's how!" he shouted, his left hand clenching tightly at his side.

Elisa closed her eyes momentarily as she shook her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her eyes slowly opening to meet his.

"No you're not," Michael shook his head, "You and that bitch sister of yours betrayed me. I was innocent!"

"If you were guilty, then why'd you plead guilty to the other two auto theft charges? Huh, Michael?" she asked.

"I never did the on you fucking cops arrested me for!" he shouted again, this time his tone of pleading and Elisa could feel her chest tightening.

"You still did the other two. And now? Now you're out on parole eighteen months later. You've gotten off virtually scott free. So why don't you take the gun out of my face, unless of course you want charges against you...and you don't want that, Michael..." she said, her voice soft as she tried to reason with him.

He stared at her for a long moment, then shook his head. "No...I should just kill you for what you did, Maza...that's poetic justice, don't you think?" he asked, taking a step back as he stretched his arm out straight, hand tightly clutching onto the gun as he waited for her answer.

Elisa swallowed hard, "You don't want to go inside for murder..."

Silence again as he stared back at her. "Too late for that...this blood?" he asked, grabbing the front of his T-shirt with his left hand and pulled it away from his stomach before releasing it. She cringed as she heard it slap against his skin, feeling deathly sick to the stomach. "It's from your sister, and your mom..."

"N-no..." she gasped, all too slow to react as his arm swung out and he clocked her in the head with the butt of the magnum. She was out instantly, everything swirling to nothing as she fell to the ground.

* * *

****

Same Time

Pain flooded over her as Faith tried to open her eyes. Her left eye opened only so far before it wouldn't open any further. She swallowed hard as she winced from the pain that shot through her eye and she let it close, keeping her right eye open as she tried to figure out where in hell she was. The last thing she could remember was Fred cornering her in the bathroom, him hitting her across the face then as he shook her by her hair. Another shard of pain shooting through every point of unbelievable pain on her body. A flash in her mind as he shoved her hard against the wall, then the most painful memory of all, feeling his hands as they ripped her shirt open and trailed down to the belt on her jeans. _Oh God, no..._ she thought, her mouth opening slightly as she took in a breath and tried not to cry.

As the reality of what happened settled on her surroundings grew eerily familiar. She was in their bedroom, blankets on top of her where she lay on her left side, facing the door to the room. Behind her was a warmth that sent a shiver up her spine, the sound of breathing slowly faded into her world and tears flooded both her eyes, however painful it was. Every part of her wanted it to be just a dream, that every punch he'd laid on her was just an awful nightmare that wasn't real. But it was, the pain in her stomach as she breathed in was proof of that. And so came even more proof as she moved one of her legs, as if testing to see if she wasn't really lying there, living this nightmare, but then a thought and a prayer of hope came over her that he hadn't done what she thought he had. But the memory of his hands trailing down her stomach reappeared and she knew he'd raped her. Her husband, the love of her life.

Pain as she pushed the blankets back and silently sat up on the edge of the bed. There were bruises on her inner thighs as she looked down at her legs, her stomach aching painfully as she pulled the shirt she wore away from her skin. His shirt. The same one he was wearing when he came after her. Her gaze fell on the clock beside the bed and she winced, it wasn't quite an hour ago now since he'd...she closed her eyes, swallowing hard as more tears came flooding over her. _It's all my fault, all of this..._taking in a breath, her good eye opened and she looked over at the pile of clean clothing sitting on the chair just to the right side of the wardrobe. A prayer of thanks filled her mind as she rose to her feet, her back and legs aching painfully as she walked over and gathered the articles she needed before she turned around, her gaze falling on Fred. She watched as his bare chest rose and fell easily, his breathing like nothing had happened, and that's when an unmistakable hatred fell over her. Hatred that she had every right to feel for what he'd done to her.

Swallowing hard, she clutched the clothing to her chest and made her way out of the room, she had to be away from him, the sooner the better. She had just gone into the bathroom and quietly closed the door behind her when her chest went tight and she felt the tears come to her, faster this time as she looked at the far end of the room where it had all happened. Where he'd knocked her unconscious and violated her. Closing her eyes tight, she let out a shuddered breath and walked over to the hand basin, avoiding looking at the floor as her gaze fell on her own reflection. Her cheek left cheek was red and swollen, and had started to bruise. Slowly, she lifted her hand to touch the graze from where his fist had impacted against her, she winced, knowing the swelling and bruising would only get worse as the hours passed on if she didn't apply ice or something to it.

After getting dressed, Faith dumped the shirt, the only article of clothing she had been wearing, onto the floor and headed out of the bathroom, along the hallway to the living area when she heard an unmistakeably familiar noise from back along the hall, where her and Fred's bedroom was. She froze where she was, turning around, her bare feet making the linoleum floor squeek beneath her as she did so, her heart racing fast. A part of her wishing beyond wish that she hadn't woken him up. But the doorway to the room grew dark as he stumbled out of the room, eyes locked intently on her as he pulled up the right side of his boxers.

"No..." Faith cried as he begun staggering toward her, hands balling into fists at his sides. Swallowing hard as he got closer, she did the only thing she could, and rushed over to the door and fumbled with the safety chain. Her heart pounding deeply in her chest, beating painfully the closer Fred got, when she finally had the chain free. She looked over her shoulder at him once more, tears flooding her eyes as he grabbed hold of her by the upper arm of her left arm. "No! Leave me alone!" she screamed, yanking her arm free of his grip before punching him hard in the face with her right fist. She wasn't going to let him hit her again. She'd put up with it too long. Enough was enough, she thought as she watched him fall to the ground, holding onto his nose as he fell flat on his ass. Her chest heaved painfully again as she turned back to the door, feeling every beat of her heart thumping through out every part of her body and she pulled it open, running down the hallway as fast as she could. She didn't stop, just kept running until she reached the staircase before running down them. So afraid that he was coming after her, or that if she stopped for even a moment it would all be over. But she wouldn't let him get to her again, wouldn't let him beat her one more time. But most of all she wouldn't let him think he had any God given right to rape her.

And as she reached the base of the stairs and made her way out of the building and onto the streets all she could do was let out a loud cry of relief, taking in every breath she could before running again, this time away from the apartment building headed anywhere but where she was.


	3. Chapter Two

**Title:** To Protect, and Ultimately Love (2/4)  
**Author:** Demelza  
**Email:** demelza81@yahoo.co.nz  
**Disclaimer:** The usual, Third Watch and Gargs don't belong to me, they belong to their respective owners (Disney/Warner Bros/NBC/Buena Vista, etc,.)  
**Rating:** R - for violence, language and content  
  
Wow, took me a while, but chapter 2 is FINALLY here! Thanks you guys for all your wonderful feedback, I'll try get the next 2 parts out ASAP.  
  
Special dedication to Angie, for waiting so patiently, and reminding me the other day to write more! I hadn't forgotten, just went through some writers block, damned depressed days! GRRR to them all!!! Anyway, thanks again, Angie! 

* * * * * * * *  
**CHAPTER TWO  
*** * * * * * * *  


Faith had been running for what felt like hours, but what had only been maybe ten or fifteen minutes at the most. Her throat was aching, aching with that severe cramp that made swallowing that much harder to do. Her back was also throbbing, increasing in pain with ever stride she took. As the part of her mind allowed her to not be as afraid any more, knowing she was away from Fred, away from what hell he'd put her through, her running begun to slow down to a fast walk. Her entire body shivering in the coldness of the night, she still kept on walking, her heart pounding fast in her chest with every step on the cold and uneven footpath.

There was a long moment when the crying stopped, when there wasn't a single thought in her mind about what happened, but the memories struck her all over again. A sadistic reminder that she wasn't going to forget and that she was never allowed freedom to move beyond the point of fear. And that's when her eyes lifted from the patterned cement at her feet and she saw a woman lying on the ground several meters ahead.

With her heart pounding deeply in her chest, Faith ran over to the woman and crouched down at her side, quickly checking her pulse as she examined the sole blow to the head she had suffered. She was still alive, thankfully, she exhaled after a moment. "Ma'am can you hear me?" she called to the olive skinned woman, gently shaking her. She stirred, and another sigh of relief came from Faith. "My name's Faith, can you tell me your name, ma'am?" she asked.

The woman opened her eyes, and looked back at her, "Elisa..." she softly replied, blinking.

"Good, Elisa, can you tell me what happened?" Faith then asked, that police instinct taking over.

"I..." Elisa begun, pausing as she tried to let everything register. Where she was. What was going on. That's when realization suddenly hit her and her eyes were wide open, "My sister...and mom...god, no..." she cried, tears flowing from her eyes. "He...no, not them...he killed them...he killed my family..."

"Who did, ma'am?" Faith asked, but the woman just stared at her. "Was it the same man that attacked you?"

"I don't..." she stammered, her memory flashing with images of Michael's sadistic grin as he told her it was his mom and sister's blood on his shirt. "Yes..." she whispered in a barely audible voice, "We have...have to call, nine-one-one."

"I know, we will..." Faith assured her.

* * *

**Mercy, A Short Time Later**

Faith sat on the bed in exam cubicle three, in the room on the other side of the one where she was, Elisa sat with her arms wrapped around herself, lying in the bed in one of the hospital's white gowns. She watched as the woman talked to the Officer's John Sullivan and Ty Davis. Faith's own colleagues. She swallowed hard, watching as Sully placed his hand over Elisa's, said something, before heading out of the room with his partner in tow.

"Okay, time to get those cuts seen to," Nurse Proctor said as she walked into the cubicle, and Faith instantly turned to look at her, watching as the senior nurse of the hospital winced in seeing how badly Faith looked. "That's a nasty bump you've got there," she said, stepping up in front of Faith so she could take a better look at the damage done. She didn't say anything else as she then reached for the curtain and pulled it closed, all view of the other room suddenly gone.

"This gonna take long?" Faith quietly asked, swallowing hard as she looked up at Proctor from where she sat.

"As long as it needs to," the nurse replied, "How about you tell me how many times he hit you?"

"He didn't..." she flatly lied, "Fred didn't hit me. He wouldn't hit me. He's not violent."

"I see..." Proctor murmured, taking the penlight out of her pocket and examining Faith's left eye first, then her right eye. "I was under the assumption that the same man who attacked the woman you brought in, attacked you too."

Faith stared at her.

Silence.

"So how many times did he hit you?" Proctor pressed, turning to the tray that was at the end of the bed, she then wheeled it over so that it was right beside her. She took a swab with some thing or another on it so she could clean the wounds, before applying some ointment that would help with the swelling. She turned to look at Faith, swabs in hand, "Faith?"

More silence.

This time Faith stared down at the floor, "A couple times," she soon said.

"A couple times doesn't do this much damage..."

"He didn't mean it."

"I'm sure he told you he loved you when he was finished, too..." Proctor said, shaking her head. "Look, hun, even if he hit you once, he meant it. He hits you more than once, he needs to be locked up. You're a cop, you should know all of this."

Faith flinched at the other woman's tone and looked away. Every part of her wanted to cry, wanted to just beg that she wasn't here in the hospital, that no one had ever found out about Fred hitting her. But there was no turning back the clock now. There was nothing she could do, nothing to change what happened. Just as quickly as those thoughts entered her mind, so did that final moment before she was knocked unconscious.

_"I...I gave you everything you ever asked for!" he screamed again, this time tears of rage fuelling his voice as he crouched down in front of her, a dark, dangerous leer in his eyes. She begged to God that He'd give her the strength to get away from Fred, but every part of her was too weak, too much in pain to process a single thought much less make her arms and legs move. "And what did I get!?" he continued, jerking her out of her own thoughts as she stared back at him, body shaking. "Nothing! But I'm going to take...take what I deserve! What you *owe* me!"_

That same memory played over and over in her mind as Proctor treated the wounds to her head, and the doctor came in and examined the bruising to her stomach and back. He ordered head and chest x-rays, and still that was all that was in her mind. She didn't reply when the doctors asked if he'd hurt her in any other way, what could she tell them? My husband raped me? How would it look, a police officer who was beaten and raped by her spouse? Then came the second line of questioning, this time it wasn't from the doctor, the nurses, or her own self-state of mind, but a friend. The one person she'd hidden all of this violence from.

Bosco.

"Geez, Yokas, what the hell happened!?" he exclaimed, standing at the foot end of her bed where she lay, staring up at the ceiling. She didn't reply, only wished he hadn't seen her like this. He walked around the side of the bed, looking down at her, waiting still for her to say something. But she didn't. "Faith?"

"Go home, Boz..." her raspy voice ordered him. She turned and looked away. She couldn't bare to have him look at her, to see the damage she'd just *let* happen herself have happen.

"I'm not leaving til I get a straight answer," he stated.

Feeling frustrated, Faith slowly turned her head to look at him, he stood in that 'I care and this is how I'm showing it' stance. The one where he had his right hand sitting perched on his weapon holster, the thumb of his left hand hooked on his belt as he looked down at her, leaning on his left foot. "It's nothing, Bosco...nothing happened."

"Mm-hmm, yeah I'll believe that when pigs fly, come on, tell me..."

She shook her head, forcing a faint smile, "I'm fine, okay? Just, go home, go...hassle some druggies..."

"Ouch, Yokas..." Bosco shook his head, unhooking his thumb from his belt at the same time as he moved forward and sat down on the bed beside her. "I'm staying until you tell me exactly what happened...who hit you?"

"I fell, okay? I feel like an idiot enough as it is, I don't need you here, trying to rub it in..." she replied, laughing slightly. But she had to realize her partner wasn't some stupid rookie who believed every word his partner uttered, and she knew he didn't when let out a sigh. "Please, Bosco...I fell..." she pleaded with him, desperate for him to believe her.

He stared down at her, "Was it Fred?" he asked, but she shook her head, staring up at him. "Don't lie Faith, was it Fred? Did he beat you!?"

"What? God, no, Boz...no! He didn't hit me!" she screamed at him, tears flooding her eyes.

Still he stared down at her, feeling his chest rise as he set his jaw. "I know he hurt you!" he shouted, rage in his every being. "All these weeks, hiding the bruises with that damn make up...saying you fell, walked into a door..."

"If you knew, why didn't you do anything!?" Faith shouted back, so surprised by the pleading in her own voice, the demand to know why he hadn't been there to protect to her. She knew, looking back at him, that he had to ask himself that same question. Ask himself why, if he knew that Fred was hurting her, why he just let it happen, why he kept quiet, making out he didn't know something wasn't right.

Bosco cast his eyes down at the floor, ashamed to such a degree because he hadn't kept by his oath to her that first shift they worked together that he'd always be there to protect her, that he'd never let any bastard lay a single hand on her.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Faith pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "Why didn't you stop him, Boz?!"

He slowly lifted his head to look back at her. There was another long silence.

"Why didn't you stop him!" She shouted again, this time it made Bosco flinch. All he could think to do was reach a hand up and touch her left cheek, to let her know how sorry he was, how he wish he had of stopped Fred. Wished he hadn't kept hoping beyond hope that he wasn't seeing the abuse all over again, that he wasn't seeing it happen to another person he loved. He had to shield himself from it, couldn't let himself believe in a single moment that her bastard husband was hurting her, just like his dad had hurt his mom, and he and Mikey, all those years when he was growing up. He was jolted out of his memory when Faith let out a sob, asking, "Why weren't you there when I needed you?"

He swallowed hard, feeling tears well up in his eyes, "I couldn't let myself believe that it was happening..." he replied, his voice low and scratchy. He caressed her cheek, feeling his chest rise as a sob crept up on him. "I couldn't believe that it was happening again...happening to someone I cared for...but, I should have saw the signs, I should have protected you!"

Faith looked back at him, "No," she whispered back. "I wish..." she begun, "I wish I'd told you...and now, it's too late...and it's all my fault."

Bosco placed his other hand over hers, "No, it is *not* your fault! It's his, and I'm going to make sure he never hurts you again."

"Bosco, please, don't hurt him..." she pleaded, seeing the anger in his eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt him," he promised, "I'm going to fucking kill him!"

* * *

Her arms wrapped around her, Elisa felt a shudder of fear come over her when Officer Sullivan came back in her room, his young rookie partner at his side, grim expressions on both their faces. "My mom, Beth..." she begun, her voice low, catching, and the officers exchanged looks, before Sullivan turned back to her, sorrow on his face. "They're dead?" she grimly asked, wanting to believe they were fine, but after seeing the blood on Michael's shirt, hearing his menacing voice, she let all hopes fade in that moment.

"Your mom, she was already gone by the time the ambulance got to the apartment," Sullivan said, his voice scratching itself. He looked sideways at his partner, who merely glanced down at the ground, and he turned back to Elisa. "Beth's in a serious condition at Central, they're not sure she's going to make it."

"No..." Elisa cried, shaking her head. Then it dawned on her, the one person she'd forgotten about in this whole situation. "Jarod! What about Jarod!?"

"Jarod?" Sullivan asked, looking back at her, confusion written across his face.

"My nephew...he's nine months old...he took him, that's why he killed my mom, attacked my sister...he wanted his son..."

"There was no baby there," Officer Davis said at Sullivan's side, "I'll put the call through," he said, heading out of the room, while calling into his radio at the same time.

Elisa looked up at Sullivan, "We have to find him...we can't let Michael away with what he did to my mom and sister..."

"We won't," Sullivan promised, "We'll catch this bastard. We have a city wide search out for him," he said, pausing for a moment, he went to say something else when he noticed Elisa's eyes shift from him, to the door behind him. He turned around quickly, expecting to see his partner, when he saw a ruggedly dressed man with red hair standing there, he was unshaven and there was a strong odor of alcohol about him. "Matt Bluestone?" Sullivan asked, getting a nod from the man, who kept his eyes fixed on Elisa. He turned back to Elisa, "We'll let you know as soon as we find your nephew," he said, his voice calm, before then walking out of the room.

He was a few feet away from the door, when Davis approached, nodding toward the room with his chin, "Who was that?"

"Boyfriend," Sullivan stated, turning to look just in time to see the couple hugging tightly. He turned back to his partner, "Anything yet?"

"Nothing," Davis replied. "Though, Bosco and Chou are here."

"Did you call them?"

He shook his head, "They came in with a drunk who cut himself trying to rob some homeless guys of their money."

Sullivan nodded, "He in there with Yokas?"

"Yeah."

"She was beaten pretty badly," he said, his voice fading as he saw the matched grim expression on his partner's face. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Check out the home residence?"

He nodded. "Come on, let's go."

Davis nodded, saying nothing as he followed his partner down the corridor.


End file.
